S.C.O.U.T. of the Border: Chapter I

by William Kelii Kekaula

A traffic light turns green; simultaneously, a “Walk” signal lights up in bright white. The crossing

guard, a beacon of safety and order, donned a long yellow plastic jacket with two bright red bands

crisscrossing each other, front and back, all clipped onto a white belt, buckled at the waistline of

the yellow jacket. A whistle blows while secured to a neck chain. Upon parting lips, the whistle

falls downward as the guard proceeds onto the paved crosswalk, while a right hand holds up a

handheld stop sign pointed in the direction of the stopped vehicular traffic. A left hand with its palm

held up is facing pedestrians remaining at a street corner on the opposite side of the paved crosswalk.

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Stopping halfway on the pavement crossing, a left-hand motion to the gathering anticipants

that they are free to cross the street. A verbal warning is likewise added, cautioning pedestrians

to walk slowly and carefully, and to stay within the white lines of the street crosswalk, ensuring

the safety of the crossing procedures. The crossing guard’s job is not just a duty, but a dedication

to the community’s safety, fostering a strong sense of community by ensuring the safe passage of

all who traverse this intersection. The crossing guard, a symbol of order amid urban chaos,

remains a reassuring presence, ensuring the safety and order of the street. As the final person

abandons a cleared street corner and soon catches up with the crossing guard, the guard pivots

and follows that last individual.

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A handheld stop sign changes hands but still faces blocked traffic ahead. Just before they

reached the opposite side of the street, the “Don’t Walk” signal flashed on and off in red. They

safely arrived on the other side as the traffic light turned yellow, and then red. In unison, the

“Don’t Walk” sign stopped flashing and remained constant red. The crossing guard remains at

the traffic light while a woman pushing her baby in a stroller stands near a yellow street sign

warning drivers to slow down in this school zone. It alerts vehicles that children are likely to be

present, and that they should drive slowly and proceed vigilantly, emphasizing the responsibility

of all road users. The crossing guard’s role in maintaining order is of utmost importance, making

everyone feel secure in the bustling urban environment.

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Narrative stains the integrity that has immortalized a chicken to claim as being first, snugly

nestled abreast a scattering of produced secondary eggs. Fragility tethers their coveted fate that’s

spread out, and there’s about, pausing ever so often to remember, “monumentally”, who came

first? Washington, DC, an elephantine curved ivory city that swayed a donkey’s tail, scrolled

out over a landscape where truth is valued proportionately at a distance. Nonetheless, truth

reveals more clearly that Monet’s point is that deception up close will be ambiguous at best;

consequently, what IS the point, after all? Some will argue “Our values, or the avenues!”,

promoting separatism that seeks to divide the people, yet they claim that the United States of

America is a democracy. It is as though the U.S. Constitution places a definitive end after the

phrase “We the people.”

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However, the United States National Anthem, a powerful symbol of our nation, plays a

crucial role in defining our great nation, “I pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of

America, and to the republic, for which it stands, one nation, under God, indivisible, with liberty,

and justice for all.” This anthem, a unifying force, instills a deep sense of national pride and

unity in all who hear it, fostering a strong connection to our country and its values. The United

States of America, thenceforth, is a “republic” governed by its laws, and not by those who made

them, reiterating the point that we are not a democracy. The structure of a municipality, such as

Washington, DC, which is a dynamic entity, adjusts itself daily, whenever and wherever it’s

essential for the continuity of manageable and unpretentious individuals.

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The complexity of cities, regardless of their size, adapts itself to accommodate the subtle

modifications that will influence citizens’ commonality to convert from “what was” to “what

will be.” Historically, people formed habitats so that they may live amicably as law-abiding

citizens, freely conducting their affairs without concern or risk to their well-being or means of

livelihood, and their mere existence is perpetual to live out the fullness of their lives. Such is the

fortitude and the stamina of one, versus the many, which is the abstraction of a great nation

empowered. This continuous evolution, a testament to the dynamism of civic life, brings a sense

of progress and change.

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Shadows recess within apertures and fissures as the enlightened make a getaway from a

completely boxed-in city. Exceeding its perimeter is an exhibition of outlying neighborhoods,

perceptibly diverse in nature, and manifested by its inhabitants through formulated prerogatives

originating from the cultural environment. This contrast between the city and its outlying

neighborhoods would reflect the diversity of the urban environment, encompassing a variety of

characteristics and experiences, concerned, well-engaged, and intrigued. Furthermore, an idyllic

setting amplifies one’s subjective values, compounded by their talents and their ability to sustain

conscientious authority, rather than keeping up with the Joneses. An individual who possesses

the quantifiables, as mentioned above, resides in what’s considered to be an “upscale”

community.

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A modest home that ostracized an ostentatious appearance, in every way, shape, and form, comfortably nestled amidst like-minded neighbors, as their sacrifices are a living testament of self-restraint. Humility guarantees the unassuming to live a reserved and unstressed life, thereby broadening perspectives and circumstances, establishing a venue towards a durable future. This emphasis on humility in civic life underscores the value of modesty and self-restraint, making all feel the importance of these qualities in our lives. A dribbling sound off in the interior confines of a single-floor dwelling, where its occupant turns off a bathroom shower and water drips through the abandoned drain while a glass shower door slides as it extends, arresting at a midway point. A drenched woman’s arm was liberally stretched outward, exposed from the evaporating mist, as grasping fingers trained on a large bath towel hanging on an elongated andlebar attached to the exterior of the glass shower door.

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She steps out onto the shower rug and proceeds to dry herself thoroughly until she is satisfied,

then turns the bath towel to the lesser-used side. She drops her head downward as her shoulder-

length hair drops onto her cheeks and forehead. She rubs her hair roughly and then gathers it,

twisting and bundling it into a knot, eventually tucking its loose end to place it in a hold. She

grabs a bathrobe off a room’s wall hook and turns off the light before departing from the shower

room, a picture of self-care and personal routine, emphasizing the importance of these practices

in our daily lives. The woman walks into the dimly lit vanity room due to the adjoining bedroom

light that she had left on, sits on a vanity chair, reaches for the vanity light switch, and flips it on.

Then positions herself, facing the well-lit, large vanity mirror. She clinches her toes on the

carpeted floor, but before she reaches for the vanity essentials that she’ll use in succession until

she’s completed, she places the bath towel to drape over the backrest of a vanity chair. A small

hair blower is plugged in, and she dries and brushes her hair interchangeably; soon, it’s turned

off and unplugged. She returns the large bath towel to the dimly lit shower room and hangs it

half-open to properly dry itself, onto the towel handlebar attachment to a shower glass door. She

retires to her bedroom and opens an armoire chest of drawers, removing various undergarments.

Then she unwraps her bathrobe, slipping it onto the carpet, and prepares each item appropriately.

Finally, she slips on the undergarments accordingly, then she picks up the bathrobe and returns it

to the shower room wall hook to hang, then she flips the vanity light off.

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When she’s back in the bedroom, she tidies up the bed, then slides a wall of closet doors open

and quickly settles to remove a light red blouse from its hangar. Then she withdraws a medium

dark red pants and a matching suit from its shared hangar, and now she’s dressed to go as she

closes the wall closet doors. She opens a separate shoe closet where she slips on a red shoe,

before closing its door. She approaches a bedside end table and lifts a hand purse that sits near

an alarm clock. She checks the exterior plastic double-sided pocket, which contains her driver’s

license and government ID card. The names on the license and ID card say, “Kelly Knudsen,”

and that she’s employed at Homeland Security as a Southwest Regional Field Agent.

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Kelly smiles at her recently attained title, which she received on Monday, and that just

happened yesterday. Today, she has an early morning meeting with the Director of Homeland

Security. Kelly grabs a large, tall brown handbag from underneath the doorless bedside end

table, dropping her hand purse inside the handbag. She goes to the opposite bedside end table

and ejects her cellphone from its charger unit. She quickly checks for unread messages and

handles them accordingly before placing the cellphone in her handbag’s cellphone holder, which

is attached to the inside of her handbag. Kelly leaves her bedroom with her handbag and enters a

converted den that was made into an office that opens to a living room and an adjoining dining

room.

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Kelly moves to the opposite side of the office, where the kitchen is situated, and places the

handbag on the kitchen counter. Then she goes to the kitchen wall near the kitchen/garage door,

where she enters a code on a light-green-colored numeric keypad that immediately disarms the

Home Security Alarm System. She then shifts back to the office and heads to the left side of the

front door as she passes through the living room area. She retrieves her mail from the makeshift

mailbox that the mail handler unlocks via the exterior wall mail slot and drops the mail through

it. Next, she returns to unlock the double-locked front door, then opens it towards her as she

faces the outer front ironcast grilled gate.

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She looks out for any advertisements, pamphlets, notes, and the like. She also appreciates the

well-tended garden that a gardening company services bi-weekly, with a modest fee that she

pays every other month. Kelly also glanced at the circular cemented patio bordered by bricks

with two ironcast chairs and a matching table, which were all bolted to the cement below.

Satisfied that all is well and paraphernalia-free, she clears herself from the grilled ironcast gate

that she had not opened, then she closes the front door and secures the double locks, then returns

to the kitchen. While on her way there, she sorts through her mail, placing the unimportant ones

in the back and flipping forward with the mail of interest. She places the unimportant mail on

top of the kitchen counter, and the rest of the mail she drops into her handbag.

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With fleeting time, she checks the back door, which has double locks, and finds them both

secured. An exhilarated Kelly skips breakfast in anticipation of an early morning meeting. She

grasps her keys off the kitchen wall hook that is by that walled home alarm system, where she

enters a code that promptly sets a five-minute timer that will reactivate the home alarm system.

She unlocks the kitchen door to the car garage and opens it. Then, she retrieves her handbag

from the kitchen counter and exits the kitchen, locking the door behind her. Kelly presses her

car lock/unlock button on the keys, which unlocks the car door, and she opens the driver’s door

of a car facing a garage door.

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As she boards the car, placing her handbag on the passenger seat, she closes the car door and

fastens her seatbelt. She then slides her car keys into the ignition and starts the car. Then she

removed her small hand purse and positioned it on the laid-out handbag. She reached up for the

garage door opener attached to the windshield cover, and she pressed it. Kelly watches as the

garage door slides upwards until it stops. Then she drives the car out onto the driveway and

stops clear of the garage. She presses the garage door opener twice, which will close the garage

door and lock it down. Then she looks at the car clock as she guesses that it’s less than a

minute left before the home alarm system is activated.

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Kelly waits a while longer on her driveway and sees a woman pushing a baby stroller going in

the opposite direction from the kids heading for the school at the end of the street. She notes her

early departure for work as she smiles again on this special day, which she believes to be the best

day of her life. Kelly drives her white mini sports wagon into the typical city traffic, bypassing

her regular stop-and-go routine while taking a more direct route. She estimates her driving time

will be cut in half, which adds another smile to her face. Being euphoric is an experience

that takes us outside of the box, into a unique realm of elated bliss that rarely occurs.

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As life comes and goes, there’ll be a moment that stops movement and makes it momentous.

Kelly’s expectations are off the charts, but little does she know that the axiom, “...it happens in

threes.”, is ongoing and serendipitous. Her journey that began yesterday supersedes those lonely

days and lonelier nights, makes her faith shine best in the dark, better than the sun. In a matter of

time, a parking garage comes into view as she changes her course and enters the garage. She

then presents her Homeland Security ID to the parking attendant. As the parking gate lifts, a car

enters and parks in a reserved marked stall. Exiting with her handbag in tow, she takes an

elevator, gets off, and heads to work.

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She enters an office building elevator and gets off at the top floor, where most of the workers

haven’t shown up yet. She enters a large, open office area filled with numerous cubicle desks,

occupying most of the central office area. Kelly makes a right turn and walks down an open

corridor that separates the central cubicle area from an alignment of individual private desks and

workstations, situated by interior office windows with Venetian blinds hanging. Opposite is a

small open waiting area, then there’s a nameless office door, other than “Homeland Security,”

and below that is the office occupant’s position. Kelly stops just beyond the halfway point and

turns to the right side, unlocks the door of the “South Regional Field Agent,” opens the corridor,

and veers to her right, faces such a door.

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She then pulls her keys from her handbag, enters, and closes the door. She passes the interior

office window, heading towards a rear wall, slightly exceeding her desk, where a lengthy, low

ebony cabinet is encountered. She slides the middle door open and deposits her handbag, then

slides it shut while pivoting to her desk, where a twenty-one-inch flat screen waits for usage.

She places her keys on top of her desk, then she pulls out a desk tray from the middle of the desk

where a keyboard is found. She removes and sets the keyboard on top of the desk, closes the

tray, and then turns the flat screen on, then decides to open the Venetian blinds a little.

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After that, while back at her desk, she notes that the desk clock calculated that it’ll be about

an hour before her appointment with the director. She is determined to get a jump on the day’s

assignments and pulls up from her files, recent events since last Friday, when she had logged off.

First, it will list all incidents concerning Homeland Security, plus worldwide happenings. The

second will be a status report outlining the effects of the incidents mentioned earlier, if any

report is considered, “The Gathering of Minds,” where agents of the agency, et al., will

recommend ideas for a resolution; each will also contain “The Black Report” as to the cost of

lives, if undertaken--or not.

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Kelly had preset her desk clock to sound off, fifteen minutes before she met with the director,

and she decided to arrive prematurely and sit in the waiting room beyond the director’s office

door. As she had completed reading all the reports, she was in the process of scrolling back to

reread some threads of interest where he could ponder further. Anticipatory alarm sounds and

abruptly silenced as she acts in kind by turning off the flat screen and retrieving both her

handbag, followed by a set of keys, from her desk. She locks her office and tells her secretary,

Jennifer, “Jenny, as you are aware of my appointment with the director, whereto the length of it

leaves me clueless, therefore, take my messages and have them prioritized in order of

importance, and not by the time they’re received.” Jennifer replies, “Yes, Ms. Knudsen.”

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Kelly was previously married, but they divorced after two years. As it was an amicable

break-up, they kept in touch for under a year, until he remarried over eight months ago, after

which she decided to retain her maiden name; therefore, meet Ms. Kelly Knudsen. Kelly reaches

the end of the open corridor and veers left towards the center, just past the cubicle desks, and

enters through the automated double glass doors. She sees two ladies sitting at their desks and

workstations, which separates them from each other. There are walled signs behind each of the

desks: the left sign says, “Office of the Assistant Director,” and the right sign says, “Office of

the Director.”

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Kelly approaches that desk and introduces herself, “Hello, I am Ms. Kelly Knudsen, and I

have a nine o’clock appointment with the director.” The secretary informs her, saying, “We have

been expecting you; if you will please walk through those glass doors, where Mr. Carlson will

further assist you.” She does exactly that and approaches a young man who stands up and shakes

her hand, saying, “Hello, I am Jack Carlson, Mr. Hendricks’ secretary, and you must be Ms.

Kelly Knudsen, it’s good to meet you.” She clarifies, “I know that I’m a bit early...”; “Oh, that’s

fine,” he interjects, as he leads her forward to an open area just beyond his desk.

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He states to her, “This is our waiting room, just have a seat and make yourself comfortable,

and Mr. Hendricks will be with you shortly.” While sitting, she noted that Jack had returned to

his desk and was busily working his hands across a keyboard. She observed Mr. Hendricks’

closed office door, then flipped through an assortment of magazines, choosing one that had an

article about a young woman’s life as a C.E.O. She found the story engaging, until Jack

interrupted her, saying, “Pardon me, Ms. Knudsen; Mr. Hendricks is prepared to receive you

now.” She closed and set the magazine down, not favored by fortune, that she had merely read a

third of that article, yet she stood and smiled onward as Jack knocked and opened a door, saying,

“Ms. Kelly Knudsen, sir.”

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Jack widens the door and holds it open; a smiling Kelly walks inside as Mr. Hendricks directs

her to have a seat, saying, “Please, Ms. Knudsen,” as a door closes behind her. Kelly sees a

remarkably healthy older gentleman sitting comfortably on an elongated office chair. Mr.

Hendricks, who had already started the conversation, continues, “Your setup here in DC will

take up about seventy-five percent of your time each year, give or take, a few months; it comes

with the new job you’ve undertaken as a regional field agent. All regional field agents will head

out to their specific regions, before the end of the month, to spearhead ‘Project S.C.O.U.T.’; Two

appropriately marked boxes will be delivered by one of our agents to your home, between eight

and nine tomorrow morning.

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You won’t be reporting back to work at the DC office for the next three to four months, so our

home field office sent you an email that will outline the specifics required from all our regional

field agents. It’ll take the rest of the day to complete, give or take an hour or two. Starting

tomorrow, you’ll be working from home. We’ll deliver to your house again, with one of our agents,

an itinerary, a prepaid plane ticket, and a car will be provided for you when you arrive at your

destination. Happy trails, Ms. Knudsen.” Before she leaves his office, she reaches out to shake

his hand, saying, “I am going to make ‘Project S.C.O.U.T.’ happen, sir, and our meeting was a

pleasurable experience. Goodbye, sir.”

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When anyone or anything ‘new’ takes the pedestal, it’s instantaneous, consequently, becomes transient over time. Mediocracy rears ahold, taking center stage and performs a soliloquy, like moths to the flame, as the masses accept what is there and not for what they or it could be, then nothing more than its most routine form, as the act of normalcy being prevalent, until ‘newness’ lights up the marquee, once again. Then the precedence is set, as it comes and goes as planned; the earmarks of progress and all that are necessary accompaniments.